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A review by queer_bookwyrm
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: violence, grief
In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune is a scifi standalone that is like iRobot meets Pinocchio. I think I'm three for three on T.J. Klune so far! I loved this one just as much as the other two books I've read by him (The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door). As always, his stories are bittersweet.
We follow Victor Lawson, a human living in the woods with his father Giovanni Lawson (an android), and two other robots. Victor and his father like to make things and fix things. One day while searching through the Scrap Yard for parts, Victor and his friends find another android with a little power left, but damaged, and bring him back to Victor's lab to be fixed.
The android, Hap (or Hysterically Angry Puppet) is surly, but with a new heart that Victor made, is learning new things like emotion. When Victor accidentally bleeds in the Scrap Yard, the authority comes to find him, but Giovanni hides him and is taken away. Victor and his friends go on a mission to rescue him, and along the way learn more about themselves.
This was a great found family read! I love our characters: Nurse Ratched, the sardonic nurse machine with sociopathic tendencies that pretends to hate everyone, but is really a softie; and the anxious cinnamon roll vacuum, Rambo, who has my whole heart. Hap is our resident grumpy boy/Pinocchio learning how to feel and how to love. And then we have Victor, wonderfully human and asexual.
This was a story about what it is to be human, flaws and all, as well as being a story about free will, choice, and self-determination. It's also a story about forgiveness. This was such a great story with plenty of humor and profound moments. Go give this Pinocchio retelling a try.
In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune is a scifi standalone that is like iRobot meets Pinocchio. I think I'm three for three on T.J. Klune so far! I loved this one just as much as the other two books I've read by him (The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door). As always, his stories are bittersweet.
We follow Victor Lawson, a human living in the woods with his father Giovanni Lawson (an android), and two other robots. Victor and his father like to make things and fix things. One day while searching through the Scrap Yard for parts, Victor and his friends find another android with a little power left, but damaged, and bring him back to Victor's lab to be fixed.
The android, Hap (or Hysterically Angry Puppet) is surly, but with a new heart that Victor made, is learning new things like emotion. When Victor accidentally bleeds in the Scrap Yard, the authority comes to find him, but Giovanni hides him and is taken away. Victor and his friends go on a mission to rescue him, and along the way learn more about themselves.
This was a great found family read! I love our characters: Nurse Ratched, the sardonic nurse machine with sociopathic tendencies that pretends to hate everyone, but is really a softie; and the anxious cinnamon roll vacuum, Rambo, who has my whole heart. Hap is our resident grumpy boy/Pinocchio learning how to feel and how to love. And then we have Victor, wonderfully human and asexual.
This was a story about what it is to be human, flaws and all, as well as being a story about free will, choice, and self-determination. It's also a story about forgiveness. This was such a great story with plenty of humor and profound moments. Go give this Pinocchio retelling a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Violence